Hoopers BC of Port Harcourt captain, Victor Anthony Koko has raised a note of alarm that his team’s participation in this year’s Basketball Africa League (BAL) elite top-12 competition has been cast in doubt, due to lingering political crisis in Rivers State.
Sports247 gathered that another pronouncement by Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Friday further sent the state into turmoil, thereby giving Governor Semi Fubara more to worry about in trying to keep his seat, and less time for issues of leisure or recreation.
Koko pointed out that the situation has gravely affected Rivers Hoopers’ preparations for this year’s BAL contest, during which they are scheduled to feature in the Nile Conference alongside FUS Rabat of Morocco, Stade Malien of Mali and Al-Ittihad Alexandra of Egypt from April 5th to 13th.
The agitated skipper moaned, “There’s a crisis going on in Rivers State, which everybody knows about in Nigeria. That issue has been affecting almost everything in Rivers State. We have just one month before the competition begins, but we have not started anything. The reason for that is the crisis.”
He then took his mind back to his team’s previous outing in the same competition and gave the governor thumbs up for how he assisted them then, but disclosed that it has not been replicated this time out simply because of the overly distractive effects of the protracted face-off Fubara is having with the house of assembly.
Koko continued, “Last year, we got support from the governor, and we started putting things in place long before the date to play. But, this time, the governor is facing crises from the federation and the rest.
“The state is passing through a lot. That’s why we haven’t started anything in terms of preparation. I don’t even know when we are going to resume practice; but our guys from outside will definitely come in to join us.”
Koko expressed a ray of hope that the expected arrival of Hoopers’ array of foreign-based players and recent peace efforts embarked upon by political elders in Rivers State could still kick-start their preparations for BAL 2025 in the knick of time.
